


A Golden Friendship

by nhasablog



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 04:25:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5033659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Okay,” Ron said softly. “We forgive you. All better.”</p>
<p>Harry couldn’t help but to let out a quiet laugh. “Thanks, Ron. And here I had a whole speech prepared.”</p>
<p>Ron grinned, which was a sight that made him feel better than he’d like to admit. “Sorry, mate, but it’s a bit late for speeches, don’t you think?”</p>
<p>(Or, Harry is feeling frustrated about being kept in the dark, but Ron and Hermione always make things better by just being there.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Golden Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on my tumblr nhasablog.tumblr.com

A lot of things could qualify as “home” after spending a month with the Dursleys. Even a dirty swing in the park felt more welcoming than Number Four, Privet Drive did. And now, when Harry wasn’t even sure if he’d ever go back to Hogwarts again - his true home - seeing familiar, friendly faces eased up the knot that had formed in his stomach ever since that night the Dementors had attacked. At least a little bit. At least enough for him to let go of his anger for just a few minutes to embrace his best friends.

Hermione’s hair tickled his face as he pulled her and Ron in, holding them closer than he ever had before.

They both hugged him back just as hard.

Then came the frustration. The rage. The disappointment he’d felt all summer for being kept in the dark, and he unleashed it all on them, because they were the people closest to him and they weren’t suppose to do that to him. Deep down he knew that they, of all people, didn’t have a choice but to keep quiet, but he was unable to control his temper after everything that had happened.

The worst part was that they both just took it. They let him scream and shout and break down, but when his own emotions had finally exhausted him they were the ones to pick him up again. Not Sirius. Not Dumbledore. Them.

Harry had never felt so guilty before.

It was late, but a lot of people were still awake. He could hear them talking in the kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Discussing. Planning. All adults. Leaving Harry out of it, as they had all summer.

He sat on the stairs; feeling a thousand things that made him wish he was numb. All the kids had been sent to bed ages ago, but Harry had only been able to lay there for about ten minutes before he couldn’t take it anymore, so he’d left Ron and come out here. Not because he thought he’d be able to eavesdrop, but because he needed to be alone. After feeling lonelier than ever for four weeks he now needed to be by himself. How typical.

But when he heard someone walk toward him and he turned to find Ron, he realized that he didn’t want to be alone at all.

Ron didn’t say anything, but just sat down next to him. Hermione showed up seconds later, and Harry was too tired to wonder how she had known. They sat there in silence for a few minutes.

“I’m sorry,” Harry eventually mumbled, his voice eerily loud in the silence of the stairs.

He saw them both open their mouths, but Hermione spoke first. “There’s no need to apologize, Harry.”

Harry shook his head. “There is. You know there is.”

“Okay,” Ron said softly. “We forgive you. All better.”

Harry couldn’t help but to let out a quiet laugh. “Thanks, Ron. And here I had a whole speech prepared.”

Ron grinned, which was a sight that made him feel better than he’d like to admit. “Sorry, mate, but it’s a bit late for speeches, don’t you think?”

And just like that things were fine again. All three of them ended up in Harry and Ron’s room, sitting on the bed as if nothing was wrong. As if Voldemort wasn’t out there. But for once, Harry was glad to forget.

They talked, joked, laughed, and Harry felt the anxiety leave his body. He leaned into Ron, stifling a yawn that made the other two chuckle.

In the end, they had talked for so long that everyone had gone to bed by the time Harry closed his eyes, and for the first time in ages he was too exhausted to worry about the nightmares he would no doubt end up having. But he felt safe there, with Ron and Hermione sleeping next to him.

…

He woke up by someone speaking directly into his ear. He jerked, turning his head and cracking an eyelid open. Ron was pressed up against his side, his face at Harry’s shoulder. Hermione was on Ron’s other side, her back toward them. Ron spoke again, seemingly repeating what he’d previously said if his annoyance was any indication.

“Hermione, your hair is all over the place,” he whined tiredly, waving a hand in the air uselessly.

Hermione gave an impatient sigh and rolled over, her eyes still closed. “Better?”

“Very.”

Harry snorted and ran a hand over his face. “A good morning, indeed.”

“Oh, Ron, now you’ve gone and woken Harry up.”

“Well, sorry for not wanting to end up choking on a hairball” Ron snapped back.

Harry closed his eyes again and reached out blindly. “Be quiet,” he said, poking Ron in random places.

“Gah! Stop that,” Ron told him, batting his hand away. “You’re both so annoying.”

“Look who’s talking,” Hermione said. She sounded wide awake now, so Harry gave up on any thought of more sleep and opened his eyes again to look at her.

She started poking Ron in the ribs, making him squirm. “You’re the one who woke us both up by complaining about my hair.”

“Stop it,” Ron whined, a smile finding his lips. “Dohon’t.”

“What’s wrong, Ronald? Can’t handle it?” she teased, smirking smugly at him.

Harry barely had time to grin at the scene before Ron’s fingers suddenly found their way to his stomach.

“Go for Harry! He’s a lot worse,” Ron said, scribbling away and making Harry let out a surprised yell.

“Wait, no,” he started saying before laughter started pouring out of his mouth. “Rohon, dohon’t!”

Harry always thrashed around a lot more than Ron did while being tickled, so he somehow ended up with his head on Ron’s knee, giving his friend full access to his upper body in the process. He didn’t know how it had happened.

He was a lot closer to Hermione now, though, so he decided that her not laughing was just not fair, so he reached out and started squeezing her side, feeling pleased when she started giggling.

“Harry, nohoho!” she cried, trying to fight his hand off. It was a struggle indeed to try to tickle someone while being tickled yourself.

They were an incoherent mess by the time Ron accidentally pushed Harry off of the bed, and they were laughing for a long time even after they had ceased the tickling.

Harry felt a lot better after that morning. Despite the fact that the worst was yet to come, he knew that he’d always have Ron and Hermione by his side no matter what. That was enough to get him to keep going.


End file.
